Assad is gone. Syrians now have a chance to reclaim their future. Families are embracing loved ones released from prisons, and communities are daring to dream of a peaceful tomorrow. And many Syrians living in Europe want to support this process.
Therefore, entrepreneurs, activists, and families must be allowed to travel to Syria to visit their families, reclaim their property or search for loved ones without immediately losing their asylum status or family ties in Europe. Current rules prevent this. Temporary exceptions are essential—in their interest and in ours. Refugees need the freedom to travel, contribute, and decide their path forward with their families. Diaspora networks are key to rebuilding. They bring investments, knowledge, and hope.
Let’s create pathways that allow Syrians to rebuild their country while ensuring their safety and the safety of their families.
I raised this with Kaja Kallas as well as in plenary this week.
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More InformationJustice and documentation: Lessons from Germany
Over 500,000 lives were lost under Assad’s regime. To heal, Syrians need justice. A critical step is preserving evidence of atrocities. Germany, with its expertise in historical accountability, can help.
The Stasi Records Archive, which preserved and slowly opened surveillance files from East Germany’s secret police, could support Syria at this crucial point in time by storing, analysing and reconstructing regime files, including those from Sednaya Prison.
I believe that this is vital to find out what happened to all those Syrians still missing, to fight impunity, and to allow the country to heal eventually.
I raised this issue at length with WDR5.
A hopeful future for Syria
The EU has been the biggest donor of humanitarian Aid for Syria in the past, and foreign ministers decided that the EU should play a key role in rebuilding Syria. This has been echoed at the Foreign Affairs Council this Monday, where EU foreign ministers addressed for the first time since the toppling of the regime the future of Syria, emphasizing the historic opportunity to rebuild and reunite the country following the fall of Assad’s regime.
They reaffirmed support for a Syrian-led political process aligned with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, stressing the importance of human rights, including women’s rights, and the safe return of refugees. The Council also called for sustained efforts to combat terrorism, safeguard Syria’s sovereignty, and destroy remaining chemical weapons, inviting the Commission to propose measures to support Syria’s transition.
In the first plenary week of 2025, the European Parliament will vote on a resolution on how the EU can best support Syria.